Cable lock for window blinds



M y 12, 3 V w. E. ROSEL 1,804,811

CABLE LOOK FOR WINDOW BLINDS Filed June 25, 1929 Snow Wot William E. H0561 Patented'May 12, 1931 WILLIAM E. BOSEL, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO,

ASSIGNOR T TEE YARDLEY SCREEN &

WELTHERS'I'RIP- COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATIbN OF OHIO CABLE LOOK FOR WINDOW BLINDS- Application filed June 25,

This invention relates to improvements in Venetian window blinds, that is, to that type of blind which is formed to include a plurality of longitudinally extending parallel slats or bars which are flexibly united and spaced by means of vertically extending ribbons or tapes, and wherein provision is made for collapsing or extending the blinds or tilting the individual slats to control passage of light through the .blind into a room protected thereby.

v In blinds of this type it is customary to raise and lower the same by means of flexible cables which pass around suitable pulleys or guides which are adapted ,to be manually grasped in order that forces may be applied permitting of the raising and lowering of the blind through the medium of the cables.

Usually, the blinds are retained in a folded or partially folded or collapsed condition by passing the free end of the cable around a stationary supporting knob or other device positioned in connection with the window frame-work. This method, however, is open to numerous objections in that the knobs do not provide, a secure device for retaining the blind in its desired position, the cable is a t to slip, causing the accidental lowering of t e blind and, furthermore, the knobs tend to disfiguge the window to which the blind is appl1e It is therefore an outstanding object of the present invention to provide automatic means in connection with the pulleys or guide devices around which the raising and lowering cable passes for the purpose of engaging with said cable so that when the latter is released, following operation of the blinds, the cable ,will be gripped to retain the blind in its desired position.

It is another object of the invention to provide acable lock for use in the capacity stated 1929. Serial No. 873,671

will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the -novel features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts hereinafter to be fully described and pointed out in the appended 5 claims. p

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a front elevation of a portion of a Venetian blind provided with a cable locking means comprising the present inven- .,.3 tion,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view on the plane indicated on the line 2 2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken through the-cable lock on thefline 3-3 of :25 Figure 1 showing the cable when in a locked position,

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the cable in a released position permitting of the. raising and lowerin of the blind, 1 liigure 5 is a detail perspective view of the Referring more particularly to the draW- ings, the numeral 1 designates the framework of an ordinary window, and attached to the frame-work is aVenetian blind which is designated in its entirety by the numeral 2. The blind, as usual, comprises a longitudinally extending supporting bar 3 supported in a horizontal position in connection with so the upper portion of the frame-work 1 by means of stationary brackets 4. Depending from the under side of'the supporting bar 3 are brackets 5 which tend to effect the support of a rotatable tilting bar 6. This bar ex- '85 tends horizontally in parallelism with the bar 3 and is disposed immediately below thelatter. The bar 6 carries depending ribbons or tapes 7 which effect the support of a plurality of horizontally extending slats 8, the lower ends of the ribbons 7 bein connected with a bottom bar 9, the slats 8 eing positioned in parallelism between the tilting bar 6 and the bottom bar 9;

To raise and lower a blind of this character, use is made of an operating cable 10. This cable has its free ends connected as at 11' with the bottom bar 9,the said cable passing upwardly through openin s formed in the bar 9, the slats .8, the-tilting 'ar 6 and the supporting bar 3. The supporting bar 3 is grooved as indicated at 12 to receive the jacent to the pulley 13 is a metallic plate 15,. the latter being rigidly secured to the upper surface of the bar 3 by means of a screw or theequi-valent 16. The plate 15 also acts to receive the shaft around which the pulley 13 rotates. The plate projects transversely of the bar and is formed to include a reduced overhanging portion 17 which projects sonic distance in advance or. to the front of the bar 3. This overhanging portion 17 is of substantially inverted U'form and is provided with a pair of spaced dependingwalls 18-18. These walls serve to receive for Totatable support a second pulley 19 which is rotatable about a horizontal axis 20, and the cable 10, after passing around the pulley 13, is trained around the pulley 19 and drops vertically along one of the sides of the blind 2, as shown especially in Figures 1 and 2.

As previously stated, it has been customary to train'the free or lower end of the cable around a knob carried stationarily by the frame-work for the purpose of retaining the blind in an elevated or collapsed position.-

The present invention eliminates the use of such knobs and employs in lieu thereof an automatic lock for retaining the blind in a partially or fully elevated position. This is accomplished by the provision of a metallic frame 21 formed to include spaced vertical Walls 22 arranged for engagement with the.

walls 18 and which are pivotally secured in connection with the walls 18 by the shaft 20 whichconstitutes the axis of the pulley 19. The walls 22 terminate in a flat lower wall 23 arranged substantially at right angles to the walls 22 and which connects the latter.

The wall 23 includes an extension provided with a slot 24 through which the cable ex-' tends.

slotted as at 25 for the reception of a shaft 26 yghich carries a locking roll 27,-the walls 18 in cepti on of the shaft 26. The roll 27 is positioned immediately'over the pulley 19 so as to be in a position to frictionally engage or grip the cable 10 as shown especially in Figure 3.

In 0 eration, in order to raise the blind to a partial or fully-collapsed position, the depending end of the cable is grasped and the necessary manual force applied by pulling downwardly on the cable to raise the blind.

When the blind has been thus raised to its desired position, the cable is released. This results in a tendency on the part of the cable to rest itself on the wei ht of the movable his resting moveslotted as at 28 for the movable re-.

tact with the roll 27, creating suflicient friction to draw the roll 27 toward the pulley 19, thus oscillating the frame 21 about its axis 20 with the result that the cable is gripped securely between the roll 27 and the pulley 19 preventing movement on the part of the cable and thus lockin automati: cally the blind in its raised or partially raised position. If it is desired to lower the blind, the cable is grasped and pulled downwardly sli htly. This results in drawing the cable tig tly against the lower pulley 19 and as the lower end of the cable is grasped in the hand of the operator the'blind may be lowered. As soon as the operator releases his grip on the cable the roll 27 becomes effective to lock the blind against further movement in a downward direction.- It will thus be seen that the present inventionprovides an automatic cable guide especially adapted for porting bar, said locking means including a horizontally journaled pulley over which said cables are trained, an oscillating frame having as its ivot the journal'for said pulley and exten ing above and below the latter, a cable engaging roller carried by the upper end of said frame, and an extension formed with the lower end of the frame rovided with an opening through which the rec ends of said cables extend, whereb u on .the'manipulation and releaseof sai ca les to raise and lower the blind said frame will be rocked to bring the roller carried thereby into and out of inding engagement with the cables passing around said pulley. The upper portions of the walls 22 are frame extendinghabove and below said pulley,

and formed wit a lateral extension having an openin therein through which the free end of sai cable projects, a cable en aging roller carried by the u per end of said and means formed wit said frame and housing for moving said roller towards said pulle into and, out of clampin en agement w1t h the cable passing around t e pu ley upon the rocking movement of said frame caused bythe manipulation of said cable. 1

3. A LVenetian blind having a-stationary ame,

supporting bar, a plate secured to said bar and provided with a pulley housing, a pulley j ournaled in said housing around which a slat operating cable is trained, a frame arranged adjacent said housing and pivoted to swing around the axis of said pulley, said frame extending above and below said pulley and provided witha laterally directed extension formed with an o ening through which the free end of said ca 1e projects, a cable engaging roller carried by the upper end of said frame, and vertically and horizontally arranged slots formed in said frame and housing through which the pivots of said roller extend, said slots serving uponvthe rocking of the frame to move said roller into and out of clamping engagement with the cable passing around said pulley.

4. A Venetian blind having astationary supporting bar, a plate secured to said bar and provided with a pair of spaced depending sides, a pulley journaled between said sides and carried thereby and around which, pulley a slat operating cable is trained, a frame arranged adjacent and exterior of said sides and pivoted to rock on the journal of said pulley, said frame extending a distance above and below said pulley provided with a I, lateral offset extension at its lower endhaving said slots said roller will move into and out an opening through which the free end of said cable extends, vertical slots formed in said frame, horizontal slots formed in said sides, a cable engaging roller having its ends concealed within said "slots whereby upon the rocking of said frame caused by the manipu lation of said cable and due to the presence of of engagement with the cable passing around said pulley.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM E. BQSEL. 

